Organisations in Weardale have received funding to help provide a sustainable energy source and enhanced community facilities to protect residents during a power crisis.
The Northern Powergrid Foundation, established by Northern Powergrid, is passionate about being able to support communities and creating resilient and thriving communities through access to funds.
Stanhope Emergency Response Volunteers received £4,725.50 from The Foundation in support of generator hook up points and resilience materials, such as communication devices, to improve critical infrastructure for their community in times of need.
Andy Craddock, Stanhope Emergency Response Volunteers (SERV) Chairman said: “The grant funded multiple locations within the town to have generator connection points which enables the location to provide warm and safe spaces during times of power cut.
"We are also able to kit out our emergency response volunteers whose role it is to check on residents and to escalate risks and issues as part of local resilience plans, with protective gear to be easily identified and safely seen in the dark to provide peace of mind to our community."
Westgate Village Hall received £4,459.20 from The Foundation in support of generator connection points to finalise the villages’ emergency plan to being energy resilient during power outages and severe weather conditions by the village hall becoming a place of safety, warmth and light to the Westgate residents.
John Walker, Westgate Community Energy Group Coordinator said: “Having three generator connection points across the village allows us to support our community at various hubs to provide them with warmth and light.
"We have also used the funds to expand our resilience planning with additional resilience materials such as wind-up radios, analogue phones and power banks that allow our community to stay connected with loved ones and each other during times of need."
Three miles away, Eastgate Village Hall received £19,000 from The Foundation to improve the fabric of the hall to be more energy efficient.
Stephanie Smart, Chairman of the Eastgate Village Hall Association said “We are pleased that The Foundation has supported our grant application to enhance the community facilities we offer at Eastgate Village Hall. The funds have allowed us to make the hall energy efficient, fit for purpose and accessible with the likes of double-glazed windows, motion sensor lights and LED lights internally and externally. Of the work delivered to date by local businesses our community has expressed a heartfelt thanks to the Foundation.”
The funding awarded is part of a batch of successful applications to The Northern Powergrid Foundation, which was set up to support and improve local community energy resilience. The scheme has, so far, awarded £560,000 and supported over 40 projects across Northumberland and County Durham worst hit by the winter storms of 2021-22. Ten of these projects are located in MP Richard Holden’s constituency of North West Durham and have received a total funding of over £90,000 from The Foundation.
The funded communities are delivering unique and exciting projects that will have a lasting impact by enabling hubs to be self-sufficient in supporting their residents today, tomorrow and in the future. Projects include the establishment or the expansion of community hubs so that the likes of community halls and parish halls can play a vital role in keeping their community safe and warm during power interruptions with the introduction of solar panels, heat pumps and generators.
Chris Mitchell, Northern Powergrid’s Regional Customer Service Manager said: “I’m delighted that community projects located within Weardale have been supported by The Foundation whether that be to support their residents during future power outages or to enhance the community facilities on offer.
“It is fantastic to see The Foundation support communities in remote areas across Durham to become resilient in the event of a power cut or emergency situation. I hope to see even more community projects across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire being supported by The Foundation in the near future.”
MP Richard Holden, who has played a key role in supporting the applications and helped present the cheques to the awardees in Weardale said: “After so much hard work, hosting public meetings all over North West Durham and campaigning in Parliament, it really is great to see these grants go out from The Northern Powergrid Foundation to local community organisations right across North West Durham and beyond.
“I’m pleased to have worked successfully with Northern Powergrid and others over the past year or so to help build resilience in our local communities. It is fantastic that so many organisations in our area have received the support that they need going forward. I hope the pro-active role Northern Powergrid and The Northern Powergrid Foundation are now playing to support our communities, will make a real difference in the future."
More about The Northern Powergrid Foundation
The Northern Powergrid Foundation will officially launch soon, with grant applications from communities across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire accepted in due course. The Foundation’s mission, complementing Northern Powergrid’s ambition to be a force for good in the communities it serves, is to support communities most affected by changes in the economy, environment, and society because of the shifting energy landscape. This will be achieved by supporting projects focused on helping to tackle energy resilience during emergency events, vulnerability, fuel poverty, levelling the rural divide, innovation, social support, and community collaboration.
The Foundation has worked with Northern Powergrid’s community partners to identify the best ways to create a positive and enduring impact for those worst affected by Storm Arwen in 2021.
The Foundation is proud to have funded over 40 unique and exciting energy resilience projects so far for communities within Northumberland and County Durham (totalling £560,000). These projects have largely been for the creation of, or the expansion of community hubs with energy resilience pieces of kit such as: generators, solar panels and heat pumps.
Ten projects in MP Richard Holden’s constituency of North West Durham have received a total funding of over £900,000 from The Foundation.
How to apply for funding
The Foundation will be open for applications biannually and the first round for applications to all communities served by Northern Powergrid will open very soon with applicants invited to apply online. Community groups interested in finding out more about applying for funding up to £20,000 should visit www.northernpowergridfoundation.com to be informed when the Foundation is officially open to applications
Stanhope Emergency Response Volunteers photo caption L-R: Chris Mitchell, Northern Powergrid Regional Customer Service Manager, MP Richard Holden, Andy Craddock, SERV Chairman, Paul Turton, SERV PR and Richard Lawrie, SERV Vice Chair, outside of St Thomas Church Hall, Stanhope.
Westgate Village Hall photo caption L-R: MP Richard Holden, John Walker, Westgate Community Energy Group Coordinator, and Chris Mitchell, Northern Powergrid Regional Customer Service Manager, outside of Westgate Village Hall.
Eastgate Village Hall photo caption L-R: Chris Mitchell, Northern Powergrid Regional Customer Service Manager, with representatives of Eastgate Parish Council and MP Richard Holden outside of Eastgate Village Hall.
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